Enemy
by Anneka Neko
Summary: DISCONTINUED. Reno blames Yazoo for taking away his best friend, but Reno's not immune to a little crush. Yazoo wants to find his brothers, but strange dreams of Mother keep him from figuring out how. Violence, character death. RenoxYazoo Yaoi/slash.
1. Awake

Authoress' Notes:

Well, I've been working on this fic for… I dunno, maybe a week? I actually have over 7,000 words done, but I think this is a pretty good amount to post for now. –stalling for plot bunnies-

Anyways, this is the fic I mentioned in the notes for "Complete and Below". It's got references to character death, but we never actually see the death. This is my best try to write high-quality bishounen violence, so please take pity on my horrible efforts in that area. Anyways, the couple, though not terribly couple-y at this point, is RenoxYazoo. The shmex!

I should be posting the next bit pretty soon, but no guarantees- I have my AP English exam Wednesday, and my AP Latin Literature exam Friday, so I'll be rather busy for a little while.

Disclaimer: I dun own anything!

**nyanyanyanyanya**

**Awake**

Yazoo moaned as he shifted groggily, but he found that he couldn't sit up. He supposed that had something to do with the ropes tied around his wrists and legs.

"Ah, so you're finally awake."

Yazoo's head jerked up and he stared at the redhead sitting near him. The man's back rested against the cold, gray wall that was behind Yazoo's back as well. His thin, black-clad legs were drawn up to his chest, and the fiery head was buried in the knees. Bright blue eyes peered out, barely visible.

Yazoo struggled to sit up, but found that his bound limbs kept him from gaining enough purchase. Settling instead for a barely dignified sprawl, the young man turned to better face his captor.

"I was wondering how long you'd be out," Reno said levelly. Inside, he _felt_ level. He felt calm. He felt dead.

The silver-haired youth turned vibrant green eyes towards his, asking quietly, "Why am I here?"

Reno snorted, lifting his head slightly. "Why do you think, you idiot? You were captured."

Yazoo shook his head slightly, trying to clear it a little. He needed to figure out how to get out of here and rejoin his brothers. _My brothers…_ "Where are my brothers?" he asked, suddenly panicked.

Reno lifted his head still further. Now Yazoo could clearly see the eyes gleaming at him. "We couldn't catch them," he said softly. Then, more to himself, he muttered, "I almost had the short-haired one, but I had to stop to… to get Rude." Yazoo watched with mild interest as Reno's face crumpled into misery and he buried his head once again in his knees. Who was Rude? Why was the man looking so upset? All Yazoo really cared about right now, though, was where Kadaj was- it sounded like Loz had gotten away safely.

Yazoo didn't get any answers, but he _did_ learn just how upset Reno was. Suddenly, the redhead launched himself towards Yazoo, who was powerless to defend himself as Reno's fists pounded into him over and over. Yazoo bit his lip hard enough to cut through the skin, barely holding back a scream as Reno punched him in a rather sensitive area. Reno, upon seeing the pain well up in Yazoo's eyes, jumped back as he realized what he'd been doing. Looking at the moaning figure, he couldn't hold in a chuckle at the sight of the blood trickling down Yazoo's chin. Yazoo stared up at Reno, wondering what had just happened. Why did the other man suddenly decide to attack him?

Reno retreated, sitting down again. He tried to stop laughing as he watched Yazoo wince, but he couldn't. _I'm losing it,_ he thought, as his hollow laughter bounced off of the walls, echoing around him. _Why did I attack him? He didn't hurt Rude. It was his brother. His brother, his damn brother, they're all alike, they all tried to hurt Rude, dammit, dammit I hate them, I hate them, I hate them…_ Reno suddenly realized that he was no longer thinking silently. He was muttering almost feverishly, shaking as he thought about poor Rude, stuck in surgery. He shook his head. "Rude… Rude… Come on man," he whispered. Yazoo listened, fascinated against his will, even through the pain. "You can't die on me, yo. You promised we'd always stick together. We're Turks man. You can't die." Reno chanted his terrified prayer over and over.

Yazoo knew that he had to be careful. He'd always been the most cautious of the brothers, sure to gauge the situation before he made a move. Unfortunately, Yazoo had no idea how to handle a captor who seemed on the edge of losing his sanity. He watched, peering up from his uncomfortable position on the floor, as Reno lifted his head, turning reddened, wet eyes towards him.

"Why, yo?" Reno asked hoarsely. "Why did you do this to him?" Yazoo had no answer. What could he say that would ensure his safety? He considered his options, unable to determine what sort of a response the other man was looking for.

No answer, however, was definitely not what Reno wanted. "WHY, yo?" he screamed, and he distantly noticed that he was up on his feet, though he could have sworn that he'd been on the floor only a second before. "WHY?" he screamed again, kicking the silver-haired demon in the side as hard as he could. Yazoo curled up in agony as he felt some of his ribs break.

"WHY?" Reno screamed, bending down to lift Yazoo by his hair. Yazoo found himself face-to-face with Reno, who screamed wordlessly into his face before dropping him. Yazoo felt blood begin to seep out where his cheek had hit the hard stone floor.

A door that Yazoo hadn't even noticed before opened. Reno spun around, eyes wild, as he stared at the man who came in. The man's black hair matched his suit perfectly, and his somber eyes didn't seem to herald good news.

"Reno…" Tseng started, hesitantly. He glanced towards Yazoo and his eyes widened slightly as he saw the abuse the remnant's body had taken. "Reno…" Reno held his breath, waiting to hear what the news was. He already knew, from Tseng's expression, but he still thought that maybe, maybe Tseng would open his mouth and tell him something different.

"Reno… Rude…" Tseng sniffed, rubbing his eyes. "They had him in surgery, and he…" His mouth moved wordlessly, and Tseng had to stop and wipe away a tear from his cheek. "They lost him," he finished in a choked voice.

Reno felt empty. He didn't hear Tseng correctly. He couldn't have heard Tseng correctly, because there was no way that Rude wasn't sleeping in a bed in the medical wing. There was no way Rude wouldn't smile at him from behind those sunglasses he insisted on wearing even when he was injured. There was no way he was…

With a scream that made Tseng jump backwards, Reno fell on Yazoo, punching, kicking and biting the young prisoner. Tseng ran forward to pull Reno off of Yazoo, and Reno turned to bury his face in Tseng's shoulder, screaming Rude's name.

Yazoo bit his lip again, but he was unable to stem the flow of tears that coursed down his face as he lay there, hurting all over. Distantly, he noticed the black-haired man lifting the redhead… Reno, did he say? to his feet and escorting him, sobbing, from the room. After a few moments- or was it a few hours?- the man came back. He stood there, staring down at Yazoo, face furrowed as he seemed to debate.

Finally, he leaned down with a sigh and, with a warning glance, cut Yazoo's limbs loose. He gently lifted the youth up by the arms, but as soon as the supporting hands were gone, Yazoo collapsed, unable to support his own weight. Sighing in exasperation, Tseng finally lifted Yazoo, princess-style. Had he been more conscious, Yazoo would have been very much offended by the undignified position, but, as it was, he merely felt grateful that he didn't have to stand. Since his head was tilted towards the man's chest, Yazoo could only see a bit of the ceiling. As they went through the door, Yazoo looked at white ceiling tiles, with tidy light fixtures every few paces. As the man stopped to talk to someone, Yazoo looked at a small spider that had made its web on an air vent above him. He couldn't understand the words that were being said, but he knew that the voices were arguing. _I must be in worse shape than I'd thought,_ he realized, as the words flowing past him took on new and impossible shapes. He knew, he knew, he _knew_ what they meant, but he just couldn't put it together. Finally, the man carrying him moved on again. Yazoo wanted to know who it was who was carrying him. He didn't know why, but suddenly, knowing his name was of the utmost importance.

"Wha…" he tried, but he trailed off. The man looked down in surprise. Tseng had thought that the young man had long since passed out. "What…what's… name?" Yazoo managed. Even though he knew he'd just asked a question, he was already unsure of what he'd asked.

"Tseng," the man replied. Yazoo felt the chest his head rested against vibrating with the quiet voice. "My name is Tseng."

_Oh, right,_ Yazoo thought drowsily. _I wanted to know his…_ But he'd already forgotten what he'd been thinking about, and, being too tired to concern himself with it, Yazoo slipped into darkness.

**nyanyanyanyanya**

I wasn't sure about that last bit. I was trying to write it the way that I, at least, think when I'm really sick. I'll start to ask something, then totally forget what it was, ne?

Please review! Suggestions would be lovely, because I really do need some ideas, but please keep in mind that your suggestion may not work with the part I've already written.


	2. Rain

Authoress' Notes:

O.O Wow! I don't think I've ever gotten that many people liking my story so quickly! Thank you so much! I now give you… part two! x3

I feel like I should mention that Reno's a little OOC right now, but I mean, he lost his buddy! Anyways, trust me- he gets WAY more psycho later. ;3 I did, however, write a scene with good ol' drunken, lecherous, gay Reno today, so some of that _will _be showing up.

I'm hovering around 8,400 words total right now, but I'm gonna try to keep a good amount unposted at all times, in case the writer's block strikes, ne? That being said, I'm having far less trouble with that than usual, so this story could possibly go up without a hitch! ...I doubt it, though.

My AP English exam is tomorrow morning- eek! I got a 4 on my practice exam, but I dunno… I'm still not sure about my essays.

Anyways, I have Latin tutoring in like 10 minutes, so I'll stop rambling now. Please enjoy!

Disclaimer: I dun own anything!

**nyanyanyanyanya**

**Rain**

Reno lay on his back, staring up at the ceiling of his bedroom. He heard the knocking, but he didn't really care. After a few minutes, though, it bothered him enough that he called quietly, "Come in, yo."

The door swung open, and Rufus, covered by his omnipresent white sheet, wheeled in. Reno knew he should get up and show respect to his boss, but why bother? It wasn't like he cared.

"Reno…" Rufus sighed. "You've been in here for three days without eating a thing. How long are you going to keep this up?"

Reno felt like he would have started crying if he'd had any tears left. "I don't know, yo! Don't you understand what… what Rude…" He couldn't keep talking.

Rufus sighed. "I know, Reno. I," and here, Rufus' voice trembled dangerously, "I miss him too." Rufus cleared his throat. "But," he continued, his voice stronger now, "I'm going on with my life."

Reno nodded noncommittally, staring back up at the ceiling. He knew what Rufus was getting at, but he didn't really care. Reno suddenly realized that Rufus was still talking. "…which is why I'm giving you a new assignment." _What?_

Rufus turned his chair, heading out of the door. "Follow me." When Reno didn't move, Rufus' voice took on a sharper tone. "TURK! Follow me, NOW!"

Before Reno knew what had happened, his training had him on his feet, following Rufus down the hallway. He was vaguely grateful to Rufus for making the TURK in him take over. Reno shivered as he realized that they were nearing the medical wing. The last time he'd passed through this door, he'd been carrying Rude. The last time he'd passed through this door, Rude had been alive.

"Why…" Reno started, but he trailed off as he realized that he and Rufus weren't alone.

Reno felt an explosion of emotion as he looked down at the silver-haired prisoner he'd been with when Rude… when it happened. Yazoo lay sleeping quietly, face peaceful in spite of the bruises that colored the otherwise flawless skin. Reno felt strangely guilty, looking at the damage he'd caused- but the young monster had deserved every bit of it.

That made things far more difficult when Rufus turned to him and said, "This is your new assignment."

Reno's eyes widened. "W-w-what? What do I have to do?"

Rufus' voice told him that the President was smiling. "You have to keep an eye on him. You have to make sure he doesn't escape. You have to make sure he gets better. In short, Reno, you have to take care of him." Without further ado, Rufus turned and rolled out of the room, letting the door fall closed behind him.

Reno stared after his superior, mouthing silently.

"Hmm?" At the sound of the door, the silver-haired man groaned slightly, opening his eyes. When he saw Reno, his eyes immediately became filled with a mixture of fear and anger.

Reno turned to leave, but to his surprise, he found that Rufus had locked the door behind him. With the first flash of anger he'd really felt since… since _then_, Reno turned to grumpily regard the other man. He still blamed the other man, but, having spent three solid days crying, Reno felt a little bit less inclined to kill the man. Anyways, he had no idea when Rufus would let him out, and he'd rather be stuck with a grudging acquaintance than a hated enemy.

Reno turned the door handle fruitlessly one last time, then petulantly kicked the offending door. Yazoo couldn't help but laugh a little at the pouting expression on the redhead's face. He drew back, however, as the other man walked towards him. "Alright… it looks like I'm stuck in here with you, so… I'm Reno, yo." Reno walked over to the corner, pulled a chair over to Yazoo's bedside, and slumped down into it. He tried not to look at the bed next to the youth's- the bed he'd put Rude into on that day.

Yazoo, who had already decided that it would be best to wait until he was healed to resist and hopefully escape, quietly said, "I'm Yazoo." An awkward silence filled the room. Yazoo rolled over slightly, to be able to see Reno better, and winced slightly as he felt the pain in his ribs.

Reno tried to apologize for the pain he knew the other man must be in, but his apology caught in his throat as he remembered why he'd attacked the other man in the first place. He looked down, tears prickling his eyes, as Rude's face filled his mind.

Yazoo studied the man before him. Reno's face was very pale, with high cheekbones marked by bright red tattoos. His bright blue eyes refused to meet Yazoo's, and were hidden under an unkempt fringe of red hair, spikes giving way to a long ponytail at the base of the pale, graceful neck. Yazoo guessed, from the rumpled look of the white dress shirt Reno wore, that he'd been wearing the shirt for days.

Unable to endure the scrutiny any longer, Reno stood, moving over to the window near Yazoo's bed. "Looks like it's gonna start raining, yo," he murmured. Yazoo nodded in agreement. He'd already picked up on the unusually damp air.

As Reno continued to stare out of the window, raindrops did, indeed begin to fall. They were the sort of raindrops that didn't really fall individually, but instead seemed to melt into each other, lazily falling in a soft curtain. Reno watched silently, thinking about Rude. He didn't know why, but he kept thinking of things that had happened. The time he and Rude had forgotten an umbrella, the time they'd been forced to land the chopper in some poor woman's back yard because of a storm…

Yazoo's eyes drifted closed as he lay on his side, looking at Reno and listening to the comforting murmur of the rain. He didn't like being held captive, but he knew that he could've picked a much worse place to be detained.

Without warning, an image flashed across his mind. He saw a strange woman with blue skin, floating in a tank of clear liquid. Silvery hair fell across her chest, but also drifted freely above the strange device she wore on her head. Yazoo wondered who this woman could be, but that thought, along with all other thought, fled when her eyes opened.

An eerie reddish light seemed to emanate from her eyes as she turned to stare straight at Yazoo. She seemed almost to stare straight _through_ him. He felt his courage leave him as the delicate, icy features turned in a disapproving frown. _Mother…_he thought, but, to his surprise, Yazoo felt none of the joy he would have expected. Instead, every instinct in his body, save the one that tied him to this terrible specter, screamed at him to get away. That single, rebellious instinct, though, was enough. He was drawn closer, shaking. He wanted nothing more than to get away, but at the same time, he wanted so very badly to get close, to fulfill the task Mother had set before him…

**nyanyanyanyanya**

Yeah… the dreams get a little better later, I think, but oh well. Do you think I described Jenova well? I tried!

That rain, by the way… I was stuck at that part, sitting there bored in math, and it started raining exactly like that- quiet, warm, slow spring rain. It's my favorite kind of rain, so, I randomly put that in.

Please review!


	3. Cut

Authoress' Notes:

Well, here ya go! Yet again, I'd like to mention that, while they aren't exactly acting like themselves, Reno and Yazoo are in a pretty unusual situation. I think Yazoo would definitely be practical enough to put escape on hold until he was healed. As for Reno… hehehe. He's mostly emo, but in later chapters, he'll also get horny. –grin-

Anyways, I hope I did a good enough job on the psycho!Reno bit.

Disclaimer: I dun own anything!

**nyanyanyanyanya**

**Cut**

Yazoo's green eyes snapped open as a crash of thunder rent the sky. Judging from the dim light, either the storm had gotten significantly worse, or Yazoo had been asleep for quite a while. Thinking back, he tried to remember what his dream had been, but he couldn't remember a single thing. All he could remember was that his dream had unsettled him enough that he didn't want to go back to sleep. Instead, he looked to the chair next to him and found Reno lounging there, apparently asleep.

Yazoo sat up gingerly and turned to look around. He'd been hearing a clock for the past few days, and, thanks to the glow of its illuminated face in the dim room, was finally able to locate it. It was too difficult to read, however, without getting out of bed, and the aches in Yazoo's body told him that that wouldn't be happening just yet. He turned back to find Reno awake, regarding him coolly. Startled, Yazoo inhaled sharply.

Reno blinked lazily. He'd decided to try napping while his charge did the same, but to no avail. Rude's face, his voice, the memories plagued Reno every time he closed his eyes. _Rude… I miss you, yo. I miss you so fucking much. You could've at least waited around for me to say goodbye, couldn't ya?_

Yazoo turned his head to the side quizzically. "What are you thinking about?" he asked softly. Reno looked up, surprised to realize that he'd spaced out for a moment.

"I… nothing, yo," Reno replied, shifting uneasily in his chair. He stared at the floor, blinking hard. He didn't feel like talking about it, especially not to a remnant.

It didn't look like that choice would be left up to him, though. "Who's Rude?"

Reno's head snapped up. He opened his mouth furiously, but words didn't come to him. Instead, images did. Rude smiling politely as he was introduced to the newest recruit and his new roommate, Reno. Rude laughing at Reno's dismay at the effect of damp weather on his long hair. Rude blushing as he admitted to having a crush on Tifa. Rude grimacing as Reno struggled to carry his more solidly built comrade to safety.

Reno's mouth closed again as tears began welling up. Yazoo merely watched. He'd figured, from the conversation he'd overheard between that Tseng guy and Reno, that Rude was a Turk who had died, but that wasn't what he was really asking. Yazoo wanted to understand. It had occurred to him that Reno's attack on him was very much like his own probable reaction should one of his brothers come to harm. As much as he hated to admit it, Yazoo respected that kind of loyalty.

After a moment of staring into Yazoo's eyes, Reno shuddered. "Rude…" he began hoarsely. "Rude was… like my brother. He was my best friend. He…" Reno looked down, choked up. It killed him, it really did, to have to use the past tense. Funny, he thought, how a word as little as "was" could have such an effect on him. Yazoo's emerald gaze was steady, calm. Reno was suddenly furious that this damn remnant still had everyone dear to him, when Rude was…

Next thing he knew, Reno was up on his feet, stalking over to the cabinet on the wall. He jerked it open, rummaging around for the blades he knew were in there. He smiled grimly as he found one. They were usually used for cutting casts off and performing quick, emergency operations that couldn't wait for surgery proper, but he had his own plans for this one.

Gripping the scalpel, he turned to walk back towards Yazoo. When Yazoo realized what Reno was holding, he weakly tried to stand up, but he ended up collapsing back into his bed, moaning. All he could do was stare in poorly-concealed terror up at the shining, flawless blade that hovered over him.

"Why do you still have everyone, remnant?" Reno asked, voice shaking. "Why does everything work out for you, yo?"

Yazoo stared as the blade came closer to his throat. He opened his mouth, but was unable to say anything. His entire world had narrowed to encompass himself, Reno and that scalpel. Reno's hand shook as the blade gently touched the pale skin. On the one hand, he felt a burning hatred and jealousy for this man who'd lost nothing and taken everything from him. On the other hand, a little voice in the back of his head kept reminding him that _this_ man had, in fact, taken nothing, and that he was simply a scared and injured prisoner.

Luckily for Yazoo, the second feeling won out. Only the slightest hint of ruby showed as Reno slowly withdrew the blade, breathing unevenly. Reno collapsed into the chair, still clutching the scalpel. He looked at it. He could join Rude if he wanted to. All he'd have to do… Experimentally, Reno held the blade against his wrist. Yazoo looked at him, not quite shocked so much as startled, as the redhead moved the blade to scrape his own throat lightly. A thin trickle of blood contrasted sharply with Reno's pale skin.

Reno gazed at the bloodied scalpel for a moment before hurling it across the room with all of his might. They heard the clatter of metal hitting the floor. He went to the cabinet again, but this time brought out bandages and antiseptic. He first bandaged his own throat, avoiding Yazoo's gaze. Finally, he went to Yazoo, who drew back. Reno sighed, sitting back down. "Look, yo, just let me fix that cut up, ok? I didn't mean to-"

"You tried to kill me, and I'm supposed to feel safe with you messing around with my throat?" Yazoo's disbelieving look seemed to ask Reno if he was honestly this stupid- and, at the moment, Reno was wondering that himself.

They gazed at each other for a while. Finally, Reno groaned, dropping the bandages on Yazoo's bed. "Fine, yo. I'm sorry, ok?" When Yazoo didn't reply, Reno stood. He stared at the bed beyond Yazoo's. Hesitantly, he walked towards it. As he walked, Reno could practically see Rude lying there, breathing unevenly. He stopped, touching the pillow. He looked at the bed, memorizing it. He wanted to make sure he'd never forget a single detail about Rude, even at… at the end.

"I'd have done the same thing, you know," Yazoo murmured. Reno wasn't even sure the other man had said anything.

"What was that, yo?"

"I said that I'd have done the same thing," Yazoo repeated, his voice calm, almost comforting. "I'd have wanted to hurt anyone I could get at for hurting my brother." He hadn't explicitly forgiven Reno, but in his own way, Yazoo had let Reno know that he was close to doing so.

Reno didn't know what to say. "I…" he sighed, still not facing the other man. "I didn't mean to, yo. It's just…" Reno didn't even know what he was trying to say, and he was glad to be interrupted when the lock clicked and the door swung open.

"RUFUS!" Reno growled, advancing on the seated man. He was seriously pissed about being locked in here.

Rufus, for his part, seem rather irate as well. "You were supposed to watch him, Reno, not try to KILL him!"

Reno stepped back, looking guilty, though still ticked. "I-I… I didn't…"

Rufus sighed. "I know, Reno, but he's the only one we've got. I'm entrusting you with a very important prisoner here. At least TRY not to kill our most valuable leverage?" Yazoo bristled. Leverage? He was no one's bargaining chip! He opened his mouth to object, but before he could, Reno did something that shocked him into silence.

"He's not a bargaining chip, yo! At least I'm upset that I hurt a person, rather than being upset that I damaged our odds!"

Rufus went still at that. "Reno…" he growled dangerously. "Watch your tongue." As though suddenly realizing that this was his _boss_ he was talking to, Reno backed off, still looking rebellious. Rufus left once again, after checking that the door was still locked. He reminded Reno, on his way out, that he could keep them locked in here as long as he wanted to, and suggested that Reno be a little more civil if he wanted to be let out.

Yazoo was still a little surprised that Reno had stuck up for him like that. He opened his mouth once again, to say something about it, but instead hissed as a ray of sunlight broke through the still-ominous storm clouds to hit him directly in the eye. Reno smirked, but moved to close the blinds. Yazoo nodded his thanks. He opened his mouth yet again, but this time he managed to speak. "Why did you stick up for me, Reno?"

Reno opened his own mouth, but merely stood there looking like a very stupid goldfish. At last, he just shrugged, muttering that he'd "just felt like pissing Rufus off." Yazoo didn't see the slight blush on Reno's cheeks.

**nyanyanyanyanya**

I hope you enjoyed it! Now, I'm stalling out a little on writing this fic, but hopefully the stuff I've already written will carry it through until I get some more written.

Please review!


	4. Competition

Authoress' Notes:

Well, I finally got some more work done today! Just to warn you, a secondary CloudxRufus pairing is coming up in a couple chapters- Renzoo will still be my main focus though!

Now, I'd like to point out yet again that, while they're somewhat OOC right now, I think it's pretty much justified. Reno wouldn't be the same deliciously cocky bastard he always is after losing Rude, any more than Yazoo would be stupid enough to fight back while recovering.

By the way, I know this is a ridiculous thing to be worried about… but, once you've finished the chapter, does it seem like my chapter titles are good choices? I've always been sadly insecure about my title choices…

Disclaimer: I dun own anything!

**nyanyanyanyanya**

**Competition**

Reno groaned, holding his head in his hands. _Rude, buddy, I wish you were here. I could really use your help, yo._ It was a few hours after Rufus had departed; a few hours after Reno had felt that unexpected blush spread across his cheeks. Reno was pretty sure Yazoo hadn't noticed it, but he didn't really know what to make of it. Well, being Reno, he knew exactly what to make of it, but he didn't know how to handle what it told him.

Now, Reno had always been pretty darn sure which way he swung, and it sure as hell wasn't towards boobs. It wasn't the idea of liking a guy that had Reno bothered. It was the idea of liking _this_ guy. Reno turned to regard the slender form. He allowed his eyes to trace the pale, perfectly formed throat, the smooth skin, beautiful even with the bruises mottling the delicate face. Reno noticed how soft the silver hair looked, tangled as it was.

He sighed. _Great,_ he thought. _I've got the hots for the brother of the guy who…_ He shook his head violently. _Rude… I don't know what to do, yo. I mean, this guy is cute as hell, but he's an enemy! You'd know what to do if you were here, yo._

Reno started. He'd been staring at Yazoo without really looking at him, but now he realized that the other man's emerald eyes were open, and that they were staring uncomfortably at each other. Reno was the first to break eye contact. He was about to go try the door again, in the hope that Rufus might have grown a heart, when it burst open violently of its own accord.

Yazoo sat up immediately, wincing as he unsteadily got out of his bed and stumbled into the far corner of the room. He sank down with his back to the wall and stared at the man before him. Reno had to hand it to him. Cloud Strife was a rather intimidating figure, even at the best of times. Now, with those mako-blue eyes blazing in anger, even Reno found himself backing up. Luckily, though, Reno found that he wasn't the source of Cloud's ire. Rufus Shinra, snark-man extraordinaire, rolled into the room behind Cloud.

"You couldn't have even TOLD me that you'd captured one?" Cloud was shouting.

Rufus chuckled annoyingly. "Sorry, Cloud. Must've slipped my mind." Reno watched appreciatively as Cloud's muscles bulged with restrained fury. Settling merely for a solid punch to the nearest wall, Cloud turned around, expression already far calmer. Reno figured he was having another SOLDIER mood swing.

"Reno…" Cloud started, impossibly blue eyes, Reno noted in annoyance, positively _dripping_ with sickening sincerity and concern, "I heard. I… I'm so sorry." To his surprise, Reno was unable to reply, so he settled for a slightly tearful nod.

Cloud moved to go behind Reno, patting him kindly on the shoulder in passing, but when Cloud crouched down to regard the silver-haired man, Yazoo drew his legs up, hissing in pain at the movement. Cloud's eyes widened as he looked at the remnant's injuries. "What happened to you?" he asked cautiously. He didn't see how all of this could have happened when Yazoo had been captured.

Yazoo's eyes narrowed, and, even as he struggled to move further away from Cloud, he nodded slightly in Reno's direction. Reno, for his part, avoided Cloud's gaze. He felt his cheeks burning in embarrassment. Cloud's expression darkened. He'd just spotted the still un-bandaged wound on Yazoo's throat. He reached out to touch it, but Yazoo flinched and brought up a hand to defend himself.

Cloud turned to look at Reno questioningly. Reno finally met Cloud's eyes and nodded slowly. "I…" he started softly. "I haven't been doing too well since…"

But Cloud had seen the bandage on Reno's throat. He stood so suddenly that Reno leapt back and Yazoo tensed. Reno stood still as he felt Cloud's fingers tracing the outline of the bandages. At any other time, Reno would have been positively delighted to have someone as hot as Cloud caressing his throat, but he felt only guilt now. Cloud then did something completely un-Cloud-like. He pulled Reno into a hug. Reno blushed as he felt the strong, tight body pressed against his. He looked down and saw Yazoo smirking slightly at the stunned expression he knew he must be wearing.

Cloud released Reno, then silently walked over to Rufus. Leaning down, Cloud growled threateningly, "Next time, Shinra, you make sure you tell me right away." He stalked out the door, leaving Rufus, Reno and Yazoo in an uncomfortable silence.

At last Rufus turned to leave, calling back over his shoulder, "Reno, I'll leave the door unlocked for you, shall I?" Reno didn't reply as he slowly turned around to look at Rufus' retreating figure.

Yazoo let out a whimper as he tried and failed to stand up. He hated being so weak, but there was nothing he could do about it for the moment. Reno finally noticed Yazoo's plight and leaned down to help the youth stand up. As Reno helped him back to his bed, Yazoo couldn't help but smirk again.

"So," he said quietly. "I noticed you didn't exactly mind that hug."

Reno snorted. "Who would? Cloud's the hottest thing to happen to this place since I came on the scene." _Though you may be a close runner-up,_ Reno thought as he helped Yazoo climb into his bed. Reno's hand accidentally-on-purpose brushed Yazoo's rear. Yazoo stiffened, but maintained his composure. _Mmmm,_ Reno thought, _Cloud's_ definitely _got some competition._ Yazoo sighed as he lay back down in his bed. He looked up at Reno, wondering if the Turk had meant to do that, completely uncomfortable with the idea of trying to find out. As deadly as he was, Yazoo had next to no clue about matters such as love, lust and the like.

As Reno looked down on him, expression oddly soft, Yazoo ventured to ask a question he'd been wanting to ask for a long time. "Reno?"

Reno blinked, seeming to come out of his reverie. "Hm?" he asked, looking away once more.

"Do you know where Kadaj is?"

Reno stiffened. "No…" he said cautiously. "Do you?"

Yazoo shook his head mutely. "I want to see my brothers again," he explained. "I miss them."

Reno's eyes grew cold, and Yazoo knew he'd gone too far. "You miss them?" Reno asked angrily. "Well guess what? They're still out there, and one of your brothers is the reason I'll never see Rude again! Your damn brother doesn't even deserve to be MENTIONED in the same sentence as Rude!" By now, Reno's voice had risen to a shout.

Yazoo frowned at Reno's sudden outburst. "He was only doing what Mother told him to do. If your President Shinra told you to attack me, wouldn't you?"

Reno raised his hand, ready to hit Yazoo for daring to compare him to Rude's murderer. But just as he started to bring his hand down, Reno stopped. "If your mother told you to kill me right now, would you?" Reno asked, voice deadly calm.

Yazoo's eyes widened slightly. After a moment, he nodded quietly.

Reno scowled. "Well, remnant, I guess that's the difference between us. I wouldn't kill someone just because I was ordered to; not if they didn't deserve it." _Reno,_ a little voice in the back of his head asked, _have you forgotten all about Sector 7? How many innocent lives did you take that day?_ Reno shook his head. No, he decided, it wasn't the same. That had been different. That had been _work_.

Yazoo's breathing, which had quickened as Reno raised his hand, was now slowing. It looked as though Yazoo was safe for the mome-

Reno's fist connected with the wall directly above Yazoo's head. Yazoo let out a small yelp and shut his eyes tightly as plaster showered down into his face. Reno shook violently. He couldn't think, couldn't speak, couldn't stop picturing Rude's face. He fell to the floor. Reno was perfectly _capable_ of standing up- he just didn't see the point. He lay on the floor, tears welling up in his eyes as he thought about Rude.

Yazoo sighed. He unsteadily got down to the floor and sat next to Reno. Yazoo didn't really know why, but he wanted to get Reno to stop crying. He awkwardly rubbed Reno's back. Reno looked up, eyes innocent and hurt for a moment. The moment he saw who was comforting him, though, Reno pushed Yazoo away roughly. Standing, Reno left the room, barely caring whether or not Yazoo was able to get back into his bed. Turning hurried footsteps towards his room, Reno absently noted the scent of food coming from downstairs. He hadn't eaten since before… since _before_, but he didn't have any appetite. Opening his door, Reno collapsed with a sigh onto his bed, and closed his eyes. Maybe this time, Rude's memory would let him sleep.

**nyanyanyanyanya**

Some of my friends didn't think it was that great, but I don't care- I think that, "Now, Reno had always been pretty darn sure which way he swung, and it sure as hell wasn't towards boobs," is the best sentence I've EVER written (though a few in the section that I was writing today, which will show up in a few chapters, do rival it).

A warning, though I doubt anyone who'd be bothered is still reading at this point: within the next few chapters (not sure which chapter at this point, though I _doubt_ it'll be the next one) there'll be drinking and bishounen molestation- no lemon though! Yeah, sorry about that if you were holding out hope for a lemon. Anneka no write lemon.

Anyways, please review!


	5. Dream

Authoress' Notes:

W00t! Ok, big news (for me, at least)! I dumped the stuff I wrote from my AlphaSmart to the computer… and I'm over 10,000 words! This is almost twice as long as the longest story I've ever written!

Anyways, this chapter has the second of those dreams I mentioned in the summary- and this one is (I hope) a lot more disturbing. So if you don't like blood, screaming or the stabbity… don't read? n.n;

Also, I finally found an excuse to give a certain mysterious bishie a well-deserved moment in the spotlight!

Note: I can't take absolute credit for the dream at the end. I got the basic idea (only the idea, mind you!) for Kadaj's and Loz's appearance from **marionette kadaj**'s adorable fic "Beg Me". You said I didn't have to mention you, but I feel like, since I wouldn't have thought of it without you, I really should. By the way, peeps, that's a pretty darn good story right there, so I recommend reading it!

Disclaimer: I dun own anything!

**nyanyanyanyanya**

**Dream**

"Reno?" Someone was talking to him. Drowsily, Reno wondered who it was.

"Reno? Come on, Reno, you need to wake up."

Reno turned to bury his face in his pillow. "Don't feel like it, yo," he whined. When the small fingers began tickling him, though, Reno decided that now would be a good time to get up.

"OK, I'M UP! DAMN, YO!" Reno screeched. He _hated_ being tickled. Reno looked to see who was tickling him, and found himself face-to-face with Elena. For a moment, Reno wondered why her eyes were so filled with concern. Then he began to wonder why his eyes felt so puffy.

Then, Reno remembered. He remembered Rude, and he remembered Yazoo. With a groan of frustration and anguish, Reno stretched slowly. "Any chance I've been having some sort of really fucked up nightmare for the past few days?"

Elena shook her head sadly and gave Reno a little hug. "I'm sorry to wake you up, but the President's kind of mad."

Reno rolled his eyes. "So, Rufus has a stick up his ass? What else is new?"

Elena stifled a giggle. "Careful, Reno. Anyways, you went off and left the remnant by himself, and we aren't sure where he is.

Reno facepalmed. "I guess I forgot about that," he moaned.

Elena sighed, leaning forward to poke Reno in the chest. "Well, we need to go find him, so come on."

Yazoo sighed. After Reno had left, Yazoo had taken advantage of being left alone and set out (slowly) to escape.

Now, the thing about having recently-broken ribs and mild head injuries is, it's pretty hard to make terribly good headway. Yazoo was definitely encountering this difficulty. In the space of about twenty minutes, he'd gotten down one hall and was now approaching a door that he'd have normally been out of in about five minutes. Yazoo smiled slightly. He could see daylight streaming in through the window next to the door. Yazoo pushed the door open and stepped outside. The bright sunlight hit him in the eyes, making him duck his head to the side. He looked out across the dusty hills, and breathed in the cool breeze.

Next thing he knew, however, Yazoo was on the ground with someone on top of him. "I thought you might try to escape," a deep, gravelly voice whispered in his ear.

Yazoo's eyes watered as the man above him leaned on his healing ribs. Yazoo's body was quick to heal, but it still hurt like hell when he had the weight of a fully-grown man pressing down on his injuries. As his captor stood, Yazoo saw a flash of red out of the corner of his eye.

Yazoo felt himself being turned over, and he readied himself to run, but the gun pointed directly at his face discouraged such actions. Yazoo stared at the man's crimson eyes. He'd never seen anyone with eyes that color. Vincent Valentine reached down and offered Yazoo his golden claw to help him stand up, keeping his gun steadily centered on Yazoo. Yazoo hesitantly took the proffered claw and stood. Grimly, Vincent looked the other man over. After a moment, he nodded slightly, though Yazoo had no idea why. Turning Yazoo around, Vincent marched him at gunpoint back into the building.

Vincent remembered the way to the medical wing as well as he had all those years ago. He relaxed a little as he and his silver-haired prisoner made their way down the hall.

"Vincent!"

Vincent turned to see Tseng hurrying towards them. He nodded politely. He turned as he heard the young man beside him speak hesitantly. "You're… Tseng, right?"

Tseng looked surprised. "Yes. I thought you were too feverish to remember." He turned to Vincent. "Thank you, Vincent. We're indebted to you."

Vincent nodded and turned to leave. Tseng, who hadn't quite finished with Vincent, opened his mouth to continue, but, watching the end of the red cloak disappear around the corner, he shook his head, seeming to think better of it, and turned to Yazoo.

"Come on," he said. "You aren't supposed to be going outside." Yazoo meekly followed Tseng back to the medical wing. His side hurt more than ever, and he just wanted to go back to sleep now. As Yazoo walked, though, he began to feel as though he wasn't there. He felt like he was somewhere else. Somewhere he'd been before…

Yazoo was in a dark room, confronting a tank filled with glowing liquid. Once again, the woman floating in the tank looked up at him, and Yazoo found himself staring into those red eyes, terrified.

"Yazoo…" Yazoo's pulse sped up as he heard the quiet, eerie voice, though the cold, full lips didn't move. "Yazoo… my son…" Yazoo gasped as, suddenly, he realized that the woman was gone. In her place floated a beautiful man, one with smooth, pale skin, long silver hair and the most amazing green eyes he had ever seen.

"Yazoo. My brother," the man said in a deep, rich voice. Yazoo stepped back as the man, who was inexplicably no longer encased in glass, came towards him, taking smooth, even steps. His silver hair swirled around his nude torso, wrapping the tall, slender figure in an air of mystery. Suddenly, Yazoo stumbled over something. Falling backwards, he looked to see what he'd tripped over, and found himself staring at the dead, bloody bodies of his brothers.

Kadaj's empty, emerald eyes stared at the ceiling, and the blood that trickled from the corner of his mouth dripped slowly onto Loz's chest, running smoothly down the broken ribs sticking out at odd angles. Yazoo screamed until his throat was raw, screwing his eyes shut as tightly as he could. He screamed until he had to stop, because he couldn't even tell if he was screaming any more. No matter what he did, though, he felt the tall, intimidating man coming closer. A smooth, velvety voice whispered into his ear.

"Yazoo, my brother. Why are our other brothers dead?" Yazoo shook violently as he felt a cold blade trace the line of his throat, almost delicately.

"I don't understand one thing, Yazoo," the voice continued as the blade slowly moved down to push against Yazoo's belly. Yazoo opened his eyes, and found that his world had narrowed to those two eyes. The world was emerald, the world was angry, the world thirsted for blood.

"Why," and Yazoo nearly moaned in terror as the voice lost its pleasant tone and became furious and deadly, "have none of you brought me back?" Yazoo stared, fascinated, as the man moved forward, a pleasant, dangerous smile still on his lips even as he lifted the long sword he held. And then, Yazoo knew nothing more than the harsh, agonizing pain as the sword plunged through his gut. Yazoo's scream was the sound of his white-hot pain. He couldn't tell where sound ended and agony began. The blinding torture filled his senses, and Yazoo at last fell into darkness.

**nyanyanyanyanya**

Um… yeah. I was trying to make it creepy, but not overboard. …hopefully I succeeded!

Hmm… so, that bishounen molestation scene I mentioned? It's looking very likely that it'll come in the next chapter.

A little personal note: I finished my English exam on Friday, and I finished Latin today! Mythology tomorrow, U.S. History Wednesday, and then after math on Thursday I'm done for the summer!

Anyways! n.n; Please review?


	6. Questions

Authoress' Notes:

Hm… well, when summer comes, two things could happen. Either Anneka could use her newly-found free time to write, write, write… or she could discover that, unless the boredom of school drives her to write, she seems to have writer's block.

Guess which one happened?

Yeah… writing may be on hold for the summer, though I'll try! There's at least one or two chapters' worth of story left, so I'll post that later. The story itself isn't tied up- once I get to writing, things should go fairly smoothly. Sitting down to write is the problem. I promise I'll try, though!

Now that that's out of the way, this chapter… yeah. The long-promised bishounen molestation scene is in here, so if that'll bother you (nothing major happens, so I don't see how it would), maybe you shouldn't read that part? I hope it lives up to the expectations I seem to have built up. Please enjoy!

Disclaimer: I dun own anything!

**nyanyanyanyanya**

**Questions**

Yazoo's eyes opened slowly, and he immediately discovered that simply existing hurt more than he could have ever imagined.

"Yazoo?" Yazoo recognized the normally-cocky voice as Reno's. Yazoo tried to sit up, but found a pair of muscular arms pushing him down. He looked up into Cloud Strife's mako-blue eyes. Cloud frowned down at Yazoo, whose eyes widened in panic. Yazoo started to struggle, but stopped as he felt burning pain in his midsection. Gasping, he leaned back, looking questioningly at Cloud.

Cloud shrugged slightly. "When you collapsed, we found blood under you," he explained quietly. Yazoo couldn't understand what Cloud meant. Why would he have been bleeding?

-_Yazoo. My brother_-

Yazoo blinked. What? "Who…" he started.

-_Why are_-

What?

-_brothers dead?_-

Who was talking?

-_Why did you kill them?- _No. No. Yazoo saw a pair of bright, deadly eyes appear. Yazoo's eyes were wide open, but he saw nothing but the cold, green gaze. Distantly, he felt his body begin to shake violently, but he didn't know how to stop it. He heard people shouting, arms pushing him down into his bed, but nothing seemed to stop the terrible tremors that had taken hold of his body. He looked desperately for help, but no one else existed right now. Nothing existed, in all the world, but his shaking body and those terrible eyes.

"YAZOO!" Reno's panicked shout shattered the world of green Yazoo had been floating in. He slammed back into harsh, painful reality, shivering.

"H-he… he stabbed me," he choked out.

"Who?" Cloud asked quickly.

Yazoo shook his head. "Tall. Hair like mine, but… so long. Floating around him. Eyes as… as bright as Kadaj's. Brighter."

Cloud stood suddenly. "Sephiroth," he muttered, walking over to stare out of the window. Yazoo gasped. Reno stood to move closer to his bed, staring down at him.

"That was… 'nii-sama?"

Cloud, instead of answering Yazoo's question, turned sharply towards him. "What else?" he asked abruptly.

Yazoo thought, trying to bring back the hazy memories. Confused images flitted through his brain. He told Cloud whatever he could, desperate to know what the images meant. "A… a woman. A woman in a tank of some sort. …Mother?" Yazoo fell silent for a moment before continuing. "She has red eyes. She… knows my name? But then she's gone. The man… my 'nii-sama? He's in the tank instead, but suddenly he's not. He's not wearing anything, but his hair is all around, and he's walking towards me. I… I tripped." Yazoo stopped as the door opened and Tseng came in.

"He's awake?" he asked. Cloud gestured curtly for Tseng to be quiet, and the blazing fire in his blue eyes told Tseng not to argue. The black-haired man stopped at the foot of Yazoo's bed as Cloud motioned for Yazoo to continue.

Yazoo shuddered, but stopped when pain shot through him. He closed his eyes. "I tripped," he repeated. He didn't understand what he was remembering. "I-I… I tripped. I tripped over… Kadaj? Eyes staring, mouth ope- dead? Kadaj's blood coming from his mouth. Kadaj lying on top of Loz… Loz…"

Reno stiffened at the name, but let Yazoo go on. Yazoo shook. He focused entirely on just saying the words, because if he focused on saying the words, he wouldn't have to think about what they meant. "Loz… ribs sticking out. Blood from Kadaj's mouth on Loz. Blood… there's so much blood. Loz… Kadaj… Now _his_ voice. 'Why have none of you brought me back?' He wants to know why. He's whispering. My stomach hurts so much. His sword blade is so cold. I… Loz… Kadaj… why? I hurt… it hurts so much!" Yazoo didn't try to stop the tears that flowed down his face as he shook violently all over, regardless of the pain.

Looking grim, Cloud whispered something into Tseng's ear. Tseng went to the cabinet on the wall and, pulling out a syringe, sedated the almost hysterically crying Yazoo. Slowly, gradually, the man's whimpers grew quieter, the drugs taking him into a dreamless sleep.

Reno shifted nervously as he watched the sedative take effect. Why was Yazoo having dreams about Sephiroth? Did this mean the silver-haired bastard was coming back? Reno sincerely hoped not- fighting Sephiroth took a lot of time and energy, time and energy better spent, in Reno's opinion, getting good and smashed.

Speaking of which…

As Tseng and Cloud left to try and find Kadaj and Loz, they promised Reno that they'd keep him updated on whatever they found. Reno nodded to them.

Closing the door behind the two men, Reno grinned slightly. Going to the cabinet, he reached down behind it to open a secret compartment he'd discovered years earlier. He triumphantly pulled out the booze he'd stashed here a few months back. Damn doctors wouldn't let their patients get hammered for some reason, yo.

Reno pulled his chair back over to the bed, and proceeded to swallow a huge gulp. He'd have to wait a while for Yazoo to wake up, but at least he'd be entertained this time. Taking another pull, Reno silently thought about everything that had happened since… since _then_. As the bottle slowly emptied, Reno's mind filled with endless questions and worries.

--

Yazoo frowned slightly, eyes still closed. If he didn't know better, he'd say someone very close to him was giggling hysterically.

"I feel pretty! Oh so pretty!"

Yazoo opened his eyes, and saw a very strange sight. Reno, who was by this time totally- BEYOND totally- shitfaced, was leaning back in his chair, which he'd turned around with its back to Yazoo's bed. This meant that Reno's head was practically in Yazoo's lap. As Yazoo stared, sweatdropping, Reno continued.

"Pretty and witty and- oh, you're awake?" Reno turned to face Yazoo, who nearly fainted from the alcoholic fumes rolling off of Reno. "Hey, Yazoo… do you know what the next word in that song is, yo?"

Yazoo, still rather creeped out, shook his head slightly. Reno hiccupped cheerily.

"Since you're such a good buddy," he said, slurring his words, "I'll tell ya. Izz…" Reno blinked. "Izz…" He blinked again.

Blankly, Reno turned to stare at the ceiling for a few moments, before looking back down at Yazoo. "Dude! Yazoo! 'sup?" Yazoo smiled slightly, rather unnerved by the ridiculously drunken bishounen still draped pretty much across his lap.

Reno sat up slightly. "So, Ya… Yazz… Yazoo. Hehe. Yazoo. Funny name." He grinned stupidly. "Anyways, I wanted to tell you… I… I hic think you're… all priddy. Rilly priddy. Pr… Pretty. There's a T in there. Two of 'em, ac- hic achally." Yazoo sighed slightly. He moved to push Reno off of him, but was caught completely off-guard by Reno's next move.

Reno sat up suddenly and leaned forward over Yazoo. Yazoo froze, unsure of what the odd look in Reno's eyes meant. "I… I mean it. Really pretty. Like… like hot, yo." Yazoo didn't understand why Reno was telling him this. He didn't really have time to think about it, though. Next thing he knew, Reno was leaning down over him… closer… closer…

Reno's lips touched Yazoo's gently, delicately at first, but Reno quickly moved closer. Licking at Yazoo's lips, Reno threaded his hands through Yazoo's hair, pulling him closer. Yazoo, though shocked, decided it felt kind of good.

What had started out feeling good, though, quickly began to feel suffocating. Yazoo tried to breathe, but Reno refused to let go. As Yazoo gasped for air, Reno's tongue entered Yazoo's mouth so suddenly that the remnant bit down on it. Unfazed, Reno only pressed closer, rubbing against the roof of Yazoo's mouth with his tongue. Yazoo was completely unprepared for Reno's determination, and his senses were overloading. He didn't know what to do.

Yazoo's panic finally hit the breaking point when he felt Reno's hands move down to begin undoing the buttons on his shirt. As Reno moved down to suck on Yazoo's throat, Yazoo shuddered in a mixture of pleasure and terror.

"R-Reno!" he shouted, trying to push the other man away. When his efforts weren't immediately successful, Yazoo blinked. His eyes changed, the pupils becoming slit-like, and an instinctive blast of energy knocked Reno backwards.

Reno hit the floor hard, and for a moment lay still, the wind knocked out of him. He slowly sat up, blushing.

"I-I…" he started, but he closed his mouth, unable to find anything to say. He shook his head, pulling himself to his feet, and left the room somewhat unsteadily.

Yazoo, eyes back to normal, stared at the retreating redhead. What had just happened?

--

Kadaj's eyes opened slightly. They weakly looked around, then fell shut again. He mustered his strength and forced his lungs to expand. The silver-haired youth opened his eyes again, wider this time, as he assessed his situation.

He could just barely make out a glimmer of daylight through what he could only assume were trees, judging from the rippling effect of the light. A slight breeze moved his hair gently.

"Bro…ther," a deep voiced groaned, somewhere to his left.

Kadaj forced himself to sit up. He looked towards the voice and saw Loz lying on the ground. "Loz?" he asked.

"Brother… What happened?" Loz asked, trying to sit up. Kadaj shook his head silently.

"I don't know," he answered softly. He turned his head, looking around. It looked like they were in the Sleeping Forest, but in a far less friendly and more hostile area than any they'd been in yet. The mysterious light that illuminated most of the forest was absent here. The forest was very still- so still that the hair on the back of Kadaj's neck stood up in warning.

"My brothers," a smooth, deep voice came from the trees. Kadaj turned to see a tall man walking out from behind a nearby tree.

The beautiful man had on a tight outfit of black leather. Silver hair swirled around him, and his emerald eyes sparkled with an insane energy. He came to a halt in front of Kadaj, towering over him.

"Hello, Kadaj," Sephiroth said, smiling slightly.

**nyanyanyanyanya**

Muahahaha! God, I love writing Sephiroth…

Hopefully, I'm good at writing drunken bishounen kisses…

Please review!


	7. Better

Authoress' Notes:

Well, remember how I'd mentioned that I had some more story waiting to be posted?

Yah, this is it. I was waiting to post this, but I'm leaving for a week in Florida on Saturday (I can't wait!), so I figured I might as well post now.

Hopefully, I'll get some more written soon (I'm trying!), but for now, just expect the next update to take a while longer, and please be patient with me. Thank you to everyone who's been with me so far! Your reviews really make me feel loved!

I'm introducing a secondary couple in here: Rufus/Cloud. I'm turning Rufus into a slightly more humorous character, but that's mostly because I think he's funnier than we see in the canon.

Disclaimer: I dun own anything!

**nyanyanyanyanya**

**Better**

"So," Tseng concluded, "it looks like, somehow, someone managed to attack him through this dream. We're not entirely sure who it was, but-"

"Sephiroth," Cloud interjected from where he leaned against the wall by the door. Tseng fell silent, looking at Cloud, who, uncharacteristically, spoke again. "It was Sephiroth."

Rufus frowned. Sephiroth? But… how? Hadn't the freak _died_ already? Anyways, though Rufus knew he should be focused on more important things right now, something was bothering him. It had been subtle, but he'd noticed it. Every time Cloud said Sephiroth's name, his tone was transformed to one of near-reverence for his former lover. Rufus had never really been sure why he noticed it, but he always had… and it had always bothered him.

"President?" Rufus shook his head as Tseng got his attention. He looked up, glanced in Cloud's direction and felt a slight blush creep onto his face. Feeling incredibly grateful for the sheet that covered him, Rufus spoke.

"I suppose we'll have to increase security, Tseng," he said, voice even. "Knowing you, you'll be looking into this on your own, right Cloud? Be sure to keep me posted." Rufus smirked slightly as Cloud's expression darkened. Clearly, Cloud didn't like the implication that Rufus was in charge, but in this case he had no choice. Well, he might _think_ that he did, but, Rufus thought smugly to himself, Cloud was sadly mistaken.

Cloud turned and silently left. Rufus exhaled loudly. Ignoring Tseng's questioning look, Rufus shook his head. Able to keep neither the little smile nor the faint blush off of his face, Rufus turned back to his paperwork.

--

Reno growled in frustration. He'd been wandering about since stumbling away from Yazoo, over three hours earlier, and he still didn't know what to do. Kicking yet another door open, not really caring where he was, Reno stepped over the threshold and realized that his feet had carried him into a very bad place to be.

Rufus Shinra looked up irritably from his desk. The sheet, normally draped over his head, lay instead on his shoulders.

"Reno?" he asked, annoyed and a little confused. Reno stood still, unsure of what to say.

"Reno, explain yourself," Rufus ordered. "If you're going to kick my door open and barge into my office, at least please tell me that you have a _reason_ for it?" Rufus rolled his eyes as Reno shook his head silently, backing out.

"Reno," the blonde's stern voice called from within the room, "get back in here."

With a sigh of defeat, Reno shuffled back in. "What?" he whined. Damn, yo, it felt good to be immature!

"Reno, what's going on? You're supposed to be with Yazoo. I know you two don't feel like getting along, but at some point you've just got to grit your teeth and _do it_."

"_Do it"?_ Reno thought, wincing slightly. _Is Rufus _trying _to mess with my head?_ Out loud, he said, "I don't think it's a good idea right now, Rufus."

Rufus beckoned Reno to come sit in the chair in front of his desk, but he leaned back, wrinkling his nose as Reno sat. "Reno! How much did you have to drink?"

Reno let out a bizarre laugh. It was as though half of him was genuinely amused at Rufus' question, and half of him was disgusted with himself. "How much did I have to drink?" he asked, half to himself. "Far too much and nowhere _near_ enough, Rufus," he said. Rufus looked puzzled.

"Reno," he asked again, "why aren't you with Yazoo? He's been behaving himself, but he _is_ our prisoner. You need to keep an eye on him."

Reno snorted, beginning to get fed up with Rufus' stupidity. Could the man never simply take a hint? Okay, if Rufus really wanted to know… "Well, Rufus, judging from the fact that I nearly _raped_ the guy a couple of hours ago, I'd tend to say that others might be better suited for the job than I, yo." Rufus' eyes widened.

"You… you _WHAT_?" Rufus sputtered in disbelief. "Did you… did you just say that you…" Reno nodded.

Rufus groaned. "Reno… how drunk _were_ you?"

Reno scowled. "I told you. I was too drunk, and I wasn't nearly drunk enough." He paused, thinking.

Rufus shook his head. "Look, Reno, I don't care what you say, you aren't allowed to get drunk on the job. You know that- Gaia knows I've told you plenty of times." Reno twitched.

"Look, Rufus, you put me into this mess, yo!" Rufus recoiled a little, surprised at the venom in Reno's sudden response. "I'm upset, I hate this guy to pieces, and yet all I can ever think about is how unbelievably hot he is. So yes. I did drink. What else am I supposed to do, yo? I sure as hell can't talk to Rude about it!" By now, Reno was on his feet, shaking. Furious tears swam in his eyes. "Trust me, Rufus, I'm as pissed at myself as you are for doing what I did, but I'm barely making it without Rude as it is, yo!" Reno turned and stormed out of the room. A moment after the door slammed shut, Rufus heard what sounded like someone kicking the wall, cursing loudly.

Rufus put his face in his hands, groaning in frustration. Meticulous as he usually was in planning, Rufus had never even considered this kind of an outcome for his assignment. He'd just meant to force Reno to come to terms with the fact that Rude… Rufus felt his throat tighten, and hastily cast that thought aside. He'd never imagined, though, that Reno might end up being _attracted_ to the prisoner. How had he ever gotten into this mess?

He sighed as the phone rang, and picked up. "Rufus Shinra," he answered it, voice calm and professional.

"Sir," Tseng's voice answered him from the other end of the line, "Strife just got here."

Rufus facepalmed silently. He'd completely forgotten about that! Cloud was, grudgingly, coming in to tell Rufus what he'd found in the past few hours- who knew the other blonde could be so creepily efficient? Rufus smiled slightly. _Must be a blonde trait,_ he thought wryly.

Out loud, though, he said, "Thank you, Tseng. Send him in." Hanging up, Rufus sighed. How in the world was he going to deal with the problem Reno had just revealed to him? After all, Yazoo needed to be guarded, being a prisoner, but it sounded like Reno had to be kept as far away from him as possible. Whom could he assign to take over the task of watching Yazoo, though? The other Turks were all on duty, and he couldn't think of anyone other than a Turk he'd trust with such an important prisoner…

A knock at his door startled Rufus out of his reverie. "Come in," he called. He only realized that his face was still uncovered as Cloud stepped into the room.

"Not hiding today?" Cloud asked in a deadpan. Rufus shook his head. Cloud tilted his head quizzically. Rufus could have sworn he nearly had a monumental nosebleed. Dammit, why must Cloud seem so cute?

Rufus sighed. "I'm sorry Cloud," he said, proud of how steady his voice was, "I've just got a lot to think about right now."

Both men were surprised at the next words out of Cloud's mouth. "Like what?" Rufus could have sworn that he saw the slightest hint of pink on the other man's cheeks, but that could have just been his imagination.

Still, Rufus figured he might as well be courteous. Gesturing to the vacant chair, he said, "Let's just say that putting Reno on guard duty may not have been the smartest of ideas."

Cloud nodded slightly, sitting down. "I suppose that has something to do with why Reno stormed past me on my way up here, totally smashed?"

Rufus sighed. "Hung over, actually."

Cloud shifted slightly. "Not very good company discipline, is it?"

Rufus groaned slightly. _Dammit Reno,_ he thought grumpily, _are you _trying _to make me look bad?_ "Well," he replied tersely, "have _you_ ever tried to keep Reno from drinking when he's pissed? It's like… it's like trying to make you smile or something!"

Cloud looked at Rufus for a long moment. Rufus, growing uncomfortable, looked down at his hands, resting on his desk- though at the moment, they were shaking a little too much for his liking. Ok, Cloud was in _such_ trouble. _Nobody_ made Rufus Shinra's hands shake with nervousness and got away with it!

All thought of revenge, however, left Rufus' mind as Cloud leaned forward. Rufus looked up at him. "Like making me smile, you say?" Cloud asked. Rufus felt his stomach flutter as those perfect lips curved upwards into a gentle smile. "Can't be all that hard, then." Rufus, blushing furiously, leaned back in his chair.

"Well, I guess I've seen Hell freeze over, haven't I? In any case, Strife, didn't you call to say you'd found something?"

Sitting back, Cloud let his smile vanish. "Yes," he said. "I'm not entirely sure what I saw, though. I…" Rufus was surprised when Cloud took a deep breath, hesitating. "I was in the Sleeping Forest, and I was taking a shortcut through a darker area. I walked past a tree, and I… I saw him."

Rufus frowned. "Whom did you see? Surely you can't mean Sephiroth?"

Cloud nodded. "As soon as he saw me, he… um, he got out of there pretty fast," Cloud finished in a hurry, blushing. At Rufus' arched eyebrow, Cloud sighed. "Ok, so he _might_ have said that I would always be his… his pet and tried to kiss me… and um… grope me."

Rufus opened his mouth, but he wasn't sure what he wanted to say.

Cloud waved a hand dismissively, still blushing. "I know, I know. Point is, it looks like he isn't just in Yazoo's dreams."

"But… how?" Rufus asked.

Cloud shrugged. "I'm trying to find the other two. They might have had something to do with it."

He stood to leave. Rufus nodded politely. "Thank you, Cloud," he said quietly. He blushed again as he met Cloud's eyes, and why oh _why_ were his eyes so cruel to him, because there was no _way_ there had been a tiny smirk on Cloud's face for a second.

Cloud's face was blank as he nodded back. "I'll phone in the verdict," he said, leaving the room.

Rufus groaned yet again, running his hands through his normally perfect hair. _Damn hormones,_ he thought. _Why, oh why am I this stupid?_

--

Yazoo looked down nervously. He didn't know why, but his hands kept playing with his hair, as though they had a life of their own.

"Ok," Reno said, hating every moment of this. "I can't believe I'm saying this, especially to you, of all people, but… I'm really sorry for… for earlier. I…" He shook his head.

Yazoo looked up at the other man. Something (maybe it was the cut on his throat, maybe the bruises all over his body) told Yazoo that Reno was bad for his wellbeing, but somehow he didn't mind the redhead nearly as much as he should have. That scared him.

Reno tentatively moved back to his chair. Yazoo thought it was odd that this now seemed normal to him. He'd felt a little uneasy without the redhead at his side.

Reno looked up at Yazoo. Yazoo gave him a tiny smile.

Reno felt a little better.

**nyanyanyanyanya**

Tell me if you think Rufus is too OOC, and I'll try to work on it. As I said, the next update may take a while, but I'll do my best!

Please review!


	8. DISCONTINUED

May 2, 2010

DISCONTINUED

As a PM just reminded me that people still read this fic, I think I owe it to anyone still waiting for an update to let you know that this fic has been **discontinued**.

I know I said I'd definitely finish this one, but let's face it-- at seventeen, you say all sorts of things. I remember I said I'd learn the Soulja Boy dance, I'd get in shape and I'd go an entire semester without missing an assignment. None of that's happened.

My writing style's changed. _I've_ changed. When I began this fic, I was just coming to terms with the fact that I have a violence kink. Now I hang out on the Sherlock Holmes kink meme. Clearly I've come a long way, and to be honest, even if I was motivated to carry on with this fic, it just wouldn't be any _good_.

Let me confess something to you. When I was writing this fic, I knew it wouldn't get finished. I was throwing characters and plot twists out there as fast as I could, hoping something would stick, but all I got was out-of-character angst and shitty writing. I'm sorry to anyone who's been counting on an update, though I'd really hope no one's been so desperate as to cling to my pitiful little story for this long.

A thousand apologies for not delivering what I promised. I'd like to point out the many other fics I've been putting out, in case anyone wanted to check me out in a different fandom, and keep in mind that I'm still a definite FF7 fan, and as such could very well put out more work in this fandom. Also, having learned my lesson from this fic, I pretty much only write oneshots any more, so at the very least you won't be left hanging again.

Thanks _so_ much to everyone who's reviewed, favorited or added me to their alerts.

Anneka


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